Many were the times over the past two years where Sudbury Wolves head coach Scott Barney praised the efforts of Blake Clayton and Rowan Henderson, more often than not for simply "playing the game the right way" - as he would say.
The highest reward for those comments came earlier today when both young men were front and center when it came to introducing the leadership group for the 2026-2027 Wolves, with Clayton named as team captain and Henderson selected as an alternate captain along with JC Lemieux and Jan Chovan.
Entering his third season with the team, Clayton bumped his production from 10 points in 35 games in 2024-2025 to 28 points one year ago - though it was in establishing himself as a reliable hard working two-way forward where he has garnered the most trust from Wolves staff.
The offensive production for Rowan Henderson is slightly better, though many of the same accolades that were directed above to his frequent linemate also apply to the 18 year-old Wellesley native who was yet another U18 Draft gem for Wolves GM Rob Papineau.
Henderson suited up in 128 of a possible 136 games the past two regular seasons and was named as one of the alternate captains last year.
A first round import draft selection by Sudbury in 2024, Jan Chovan arrived in northern Ontario shortly after the start of the 2025-2026 campaign and after a brief adjustment period (no points in his first six games), proceeded to light it up to the tune of 55 points in his next 54 games.
A sixth round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings (2025 NHL draft), Chovan is expected to start the season as part of the same troika that enjoyed a great deal of success in the final three months of last year, playing with JC Lemieux and Adam Nemec.
Acquired as the central cog in the trade that saw Nathan Villeneuve and Alex Pharand shipped to the Windsor Spitfires in January, JC Lemieux immediately showcased the offensive skill-set that made him a solid 2nd round choice for the Spits in 2024.
A native of Gatineau (PQ), Lemieux produced at a better than point per game pace in Sudbury, racking up 25 points in 23 games.
The Wolves are set to open the 2026-2027 season this Friday night, hosting the Peterborough Petes at the Sudbury Arena.
